From About This Project
A first-class paint job takes time, patience, the right tools and high-quality paints. We'll show you how to:
- organize tasks so you can move to the next step without waiting
- get prep work done easier and faster
- use fast-drying primers and sealers to avoid downtime
- produce a smooth look with brushes and rollers
- caulk and mask trim for crisp, flawless corners and joints.
I used to think I was a pretty good amateur painter. That is, until I worked with a real pro, my new painting guru, Butch Zang. Like other successful tradespeople, he has to get the job done quickly and properly to keep his business healthy. The word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers take care of all his marketing needs. You won't find him in the yellow pages.) Butch's shortcuts and methodical, organized painting techniques were designed to save him time, eliminate callbacks and make him more money. Next time you paint, try Butch's system -- you'll be surprised at the speed and quality of your work. And you won't get any more testy callbacks from your spouse!
Preparation
Organize Your Work So You'll Never Have to Stop.
Follow a sequence of steps that'll allow you to let one part of the prep work dry while you go on to the next chore. The first few steps will give you the idea: Seal water stains on the ceiling and, while they're drying, sand, degloss and prime the woodwork. While the primer dries, put the first coat of paint on the ceiling and so on. If you're the kind of person who would prefer to work your tail off for a weekend rather than stretch the project out over several relaxed days, this story is especially for you. But even if you prefer the laid-back approach to painting, following these steps will yield excellent results with less hassle.
Allow a weekend to completely finish two average-sized rooms. You should try to get through step 10 on Saturday. You'll need to hustle, but you'll complete the bulk of the work. Saturday's caulking will dry overnight so you can tape the woodwork and finish up on Sunday. You'll be done with the whole job in time to have supper and catch 60 Minutes that night.
Spend 15 Minutes Clearing the Room
Painting is enough of a chore without having to weave your way through a room full of furnishings. Remove everything you can, including couches and dressers. If something is too large or heavy to move, put it in the middle of the room and cover it with .5-mil painter's plastic. Complete the paint prep work by taping the carpeting down to the bottom of the baseboards and running dropcloths over the top of the tape. It's worth investing in canvas dropcloths to protect your floors. Although you may be tempted to substitute cheap plastic sheeting, canvas stays put and offers a non-slip surface. It's easiest to buy a couple of 9' x 12' drops, but you could just buy one and move it around to follow your painting.
CAUTION:
If your home was built before 1978, test your paint for lead before sanding or scraping it. Lead in dust causes lead poisoning, especially in young children. Use a test kit available from any paint store, or contact your local health department for the addresses of reliable testing labs. If you have lead paint that's in good condition, use a deglosser rather than sanding it. If your lead paint is flaking, call 800-424-LEAD for the free EPA guide "Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home."
Priming and Painting
Tips for Buying Paint
I knew I was in trouble the first minute of the first day of class for an engineering physics course. Well, I felt the same way the first time I went into a paint store to pick out the paint for my new house. Hundreds of paints, dozens of implements and shelves of special additives and cleaners.
Here's what you need to know before selecting paint. Stick with a national manufacturer and buy one of its higher grades.
Make sure to buy enough paint to finish the job. If you have to leave a half-finished wall to run and get more paint, the overlap will show, even if the color is a perfect match. A gallon of paint typically covers 400 to 450 sq. ft. Estimate the number of square feet you'll be painting by measuring the total footage around the perimeter of the room and multiplying by the ceiling height in feet. Don't subtract for windows, doors or other openings unless they're enormous. Ceiling areas are easily determined just by calculating the width times the depth of the room. Two or 3 quarts of wall paint cost nearly the same as a gallon, so round up to the next gallon if you need a fraction greater than one-half.
An average room's worth of trim including baseboards and a door or two will need a quart each of primer and one of semigloss trim paint. Have the store shake the cans for you, and stir them every time you paint.
TOOLS
- Dry-wall sander with 100-grit paper for sanding walls.
- Synthetic-bristle 2" brush for trim and a 3" brush for cutting in walls next to trim and ceilings.
- Medium and fine sanding sponges for sanding trim before and after priming. 7" and 9" roller frames.
- Extension handles for rollers to reduce ladder use, speed up the job and reduce hand and wrist fatigue.
- 7" mohair roller cover 1/4" nap) for doors.
- 9" sheepskin roller cover 1/2" nap) for walls.
- 9" sheepskin roller cover 3/4" nap) for textured ceilings. Clean all covers for reuse.
- Canvas dropcloths.
- 2" flexible putty knife for filling wall flaws and pressing masking tape into joints.
- 3" painter's tape for protecting carpet and trim. Painter's tape removes easily without tearing or pulling off paint.)
- Wallpaper smoothing tool to push tape down below baseboards.
- Roller screen and a 5-gallon bucket ) for painting large areas.
- Roller tray for small rolling jobs.
PAINT PRODUCTS
- Pigmented shellac spray sealers B-I-N is one brand) dry fast and won't allow stains to bleed through fresh paint.
- Alcohol-based primers for priming woodwork also dry quickly and are almost odor-free. Oil-based primer is an alternative, but it's slow to dry, and cleanup with paint thinner is more of a hassle.
- Ceiling white is an extra-flat low sheen) latex paint. While you can use any flat latex on ceilings, this one's best for white ceilings. You can also have it tinted slightly to highlight wall colors.
- Latex wall paint comes in different sheens the gloss of the finish). The easiest to apply and touch up is flat no sheen). The downside is that it isn't as scrubbable as the progressively higher-gloss eggshell, satin, semigloss and gloss paints. The higher the gloss, the more conspicuous wall imperfections will be. Unless you have absolutely perfect walls or need to clean them frequently such as in the kitchen), stay away from the higher-gloss paints. Use eggshell or flat.
- Latex trim paint dries to a nonporous, brush stroke-free surface that can stand up to vacuum cleaner encounters. It's tougher and easier to clean than typical wall paints.
- Deglosser/cleaners liquid sandpaper) help prepare dirty, oily or varnished surfaces for better paint adhesion.
- Latex paint conditioners help paint flow and dry more smoothly, especially trim and woodwork paints.
- Household ammonia or denatured alcohol is needed to clean up alcohol-based paint. Clean up latex paint-laden tools with soap and water.
- Non-shrinking, quick-drying wall spackling compound for filling in wall imperfections. Latex/silicone caulk for filling woodwork joinery and gaps. Make sure it says "paintable" on the label.)
TIP:
- Natural napped roller covers are easier to clean, give a smoother, lint-free finish and last three times longer than synthetic ones.
- Add a paint conditioner for a smoother finish when brush and roller marks won't level out.